A meeting to explore starting a historical association on Chincoteague will be held later this month.

Anyone interested in hearing more and sharing their own ideas should come to the Museum of Chincoteague Island on Thursday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m.

Chincoteague resident Denise Bowden has been thinking for a while about how to preserve and share knowledge about the island town's past, including about its historical buildings.

"Being the history buff that I am, especially about Chincoteague history, we've got a lot here that the average person doesn't know about," Bowden said.

For example, the post office sits on the site of the former Red Men's Hall, and where the Shore Stop is now, the Whealton mansion formerly stood.

Where Bill's Seafood sits today was the former Hotel Russell, she said.

Additionally, where the movie theater is now on Main Street, the Atlantic Hotel formerly stood.

“I would love to see a plaque on the side of the movie theater with a picture of the old Atlantic Hotel” and information about the site’s history, Bowden said.

Informational plaques at those and similar locations around town could let people know more about the town's rich history, said Bowden, a fifth-generation Chincoteague native who serves on the town council and as Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company spokesperson, and who also operates a business called Teaguer's Tump Tours, which offers history tours of Chincoteague.

"I've had this on my mind for quite a while," she said of the idea of forming an historical association.

One thing visitors to the town may not be aware of is that several buildings on Chincoteague were moved there from nearby Assateague Island, where there was a village in bygone days.

Another goal could be to identify those historic buildings, mainly residences, as having come from Assateague.

At least one business in town, Four Seasons Florist on Deep Hole Road, includes as part of the existing building an Assateague home, Bowden said, adding that there are several more buildings that came from Assateague in the East Side section of town.

The Museum of Chincoteague Island "has been very gracious to offer their space" for the Jan. 24 meeting.

"The whole goal here, though, is to not only identify this — hopefully get something erected on a plaque — but also to keep it real simple," Bowden said.

She emphasized that the goal is not to regulate what owners can do with historic buildings.

"I just think we need to preserve and identify and give tribute to what was before — before we were a tourist town, before Misty, all of that," she said.

While the beach and the famous Chincoteague ponies are beloved and are an important aspect of the town, a historical association could help people, both residents and visitors alike, know more about other parts of the town's story.